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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. The narrator states that he is finally able to shake off his gloom when the ship reaches what harbor in Chapter 9?

2. The narrator describes the poker players as practicing what sort of politeness for each other in Chapter 6?

3. Who collected the Uncle Remus stories in the narrative?

4. What is not allowed at the “Club,” according to the narrator in Chapter 7?

5. Who was the author of The Souls of Black Folk?

Short Essay Questions

1. How does the narrator respond to the events surrounding the widow in the end of Chapter 8?

2. How does the narrator describe the success of the Chinese restaurant under the “Club” in Chapter 7?

3. What musical style does the narrator describe in depth in Chapter 5? When did this style emerge?

4. What does the narrator get in exchange for his work for the millionaire in Europe? What are his impressions of the continent?

5. Why does the millionaire decide to go to Europe? Where does he go while there?

6. What are the narrator’s impressions of the African Americans he meets in the rural South in Chapter 10?

7. What have critics noted in regard to the relationship between the millionaire and the narrator in the novel?

8. How does the narrator describe the rooming house and landlord where he first stays in New York in Chapter 6?

9. Who hires the narrator as a patron in Chapter 7? What does the narrator do for his employer?

10. Where do the millionaire and the narrator spend time in Europe in Chapter 9? What role does the narrator play in their relationship?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Discuss the laws regarding interracial marriage and betrothal during the late 1800s-early 1900s. When were anti-miscegenation laws introduced in the United States? When were they repealed? Were European countries similar or different in their regulations? How?

Essay Topic 2

Discuss the underlying racism depicted in the narrator’s classifications of African Americans in Chapter 5. In what ways does this delineation break down to personal prejudice? Do you agree or disagree with the assertions of the narrator? Why?

Essay Topic 3

Discuss the theme of race relations in the novel. How is racial prejudice expressed through the language of the narrator during his childhood? How does the language influence the narrator’s views of African Americans and whites? What impact does this language have on readers today?

(see the answer keys)

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